Golden keepin up with UF and FSU
CORAL GABLES ? Told recently that his Miami Hurricanes had not fared well recruiting against the Florida Gators the past few years, coach Al Golden responded with just a slight hint of cockiness.
"Oh yeah?," Golden said. "We'll get it fixed."
Miami's new coach appears to be doing that in his first real recruiting showdown with the Gators, getting an oral commitment earlier this month from Raphael Kirby, a four-star linebacker from Stone Mountain, Ga., who experts predicted was going to Florida.
"A kid out of Kirby's area, they never used to get them," long-time recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said of UM recruiting in Georgia. "But Al Golden is every bit the recruiter as the guys at Florida and Florida State."
Not that the Gators or 'Noles are struggling to put together a solid 2012 recruiting class. Both are ranked in the Top 10 or better by most analysts.
But, after a February in which UM signed its lowest-rated class in more than a decade, Golden has made the Hurricanes a player once again among the nation's top prospects.
Of the nine players that have orally committed to UM, six are four-star designations by the recruiting service Rivals.
Compare that to UM's 2011 class, which lost some of its top commitments after Randy Shannon was fired in November. That class had only two four-star signees and was ranked No. 36 by Rivals and No. 39 by Scout.
It appears, at least for now, that UM has quickly gotten back to the recruiting elite.
"Miami is certainly in the Top 10 at this stage, not only with commitments but with guys leaning their way," said Lemming, an analyst with CBS College Sports Network.
While Palm Beach Central receiver Angelo Jean-Louis is generally considered the top-rated player among those pledged to UM for 2012, it's Kirby's commitment that has drawn the most attention.
Before Kirby's announcement, two of his high school teammates had already committed to Florida and, of the eight unofficial visits the 6-foot, 208-pound linebacker had made to various colleges, none was to Miami.
Even Kirby admits that Florida "was on top for a while."
That is until UM offered him a scholarship. On May 17, Kirby committed to Miami.
If you're keeping score, give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead over the Gators. Florida fans might argue by pointing to standout Dwyer quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who picked the Gators over UM in February.
But Miami wasn't even in the running for Brissett before Shannon was fired and only a late charge by Golden put the Hurricanes in contention.
In Kirby's case, the battle for his commitment took place on more even ground.
"When you're going against everybody for a Raphael Kirby and you're able to get him, that's the one that makes other kids and fans stand up and take notice," said Mike Farrell, Rivals' national recruiting analyst. "For [Golden] to go to Georgia and steal Raphael Kirby away from Florida shows he can recruit with the big boys."
Not that Golden's ability to persuade high school prospects was in doubt. He began to earn a reputation for those skills as a 28-year-old assistant at Boston College and later on Al Groh's staff at Virginia.
"He's a very aggressive recruiter," Farrell said. "He became known as a guy that could get kids away from the bigger programs."
At Temple, Golden resuscitated a program that was arguably college football's worst by finding gems among players passed over by other schools. In 2009, Golden was named the nation's top recruiter by Lemming.
Golden is prohibited by NCAA rules from talking about individual recruits, but he clearly believes he's off to a good start for 2012.
"I'm excited about who we got so far," Golden said. "We have some really good players committed and we're involved with a lot of other good ones."
FSU and Florida can say the same.
Of Rivals' Top 100 prospects, 32 have orally committed and five of those have chosen the Seminoles.
Will Muschamp, in his first season as the Gators' coach, has picked up where Urban Meyer left off. He already has 10 players committed, including a group of seven four-star athletes. Among the biggest pickups is Boynton Beach offensive lineman Jessamen Dunker, who is being pursued by Miami, FSU, Alabama and other powerhouses.
Oral commitments are not binding and players often change their minds before national signing day in February.
